Raspberry Grapefruit Salad

Raspberry Grapefruit Salad

Here is a very simple and very delicious salad. As I have said before my favorite breakfast food is salad. I of course had this as my breakfast and it was wonderful. I just love how the simple dressing turned out. I used this same dressing on my Zucchinni Noodle Salad recipe that I will be posting next!!

Raspberry Grapefruit

Organic romaine, cut into thin strips

1 large grapefruit, peeled, seeded and diced

1 handful of organic raspberries

1 T Hemp seeds

1 T raw sesame seeds

Plate the lettuce and top with the grapefruit, raspberries, and seeds. Drizzle on some Balsamic Dijon Dressing. Enjoy!

Balsamic Dijon Dressing

1/2 C First cold pressed EVOO

1/4 C Balsamic vinegar

2 T raw honey or real Maple Syrup

1 T organic Dijon mustard

2 tsp dried onion flakes

pinch of sea salt

pinch of black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well.

Keeps in refrigerator for 4 weeks. Shake well before each use. Allow to sit at room temp for at least 30 min prior to using so honey and oils can liquefy.

~JMJ~Today I am grateful for warm little ones in my bed. We are going through a cold front right now and down here in SW FL we are freezing at 50 degrees. We had 3 of the 5 kids pile in our bed this morning saying, "I'm cold!! I need to put on some sweat pants!" Too funny considering just last week we were complaining how hot it was.

Fall Fun

The kids and I carved some pumpkins and then roasted the seeds. It was a really beautiful day and we had a good time carving these designs. The pumpkin above is our 13 year old sons. He wanted just the traditional pumpkin. He asked his sister to draw the face on it and then he did all of the carving.



Our 15 year old daughter decided to carve the Rebel Alliance Insignia. When you see how they both dressed up you'll understand.

Here is the pumpkin I carved on behalf of the three youngest boys ages 6, 4 and 2. You can see why Mommy did the carving...knives and little ones don't mix. I think I found the picture in the magazine, Real Simple. I just drew the face on there and started cutting. Pretty basic I know, but I am not very artistic.

We aren't the most creative pumpkin carvers that's for sure but we have a good time doing it. Next year we want to try doing pumpkin scraping. The results you can achieve are amazing. Here is one done by my dear friend's daughter. She walked across the United States this summer with Crossroads and is a delightful young lady who loves sharing her stance on life.

Here is our youngest pirate riding to the Fall Festival we went to in lieu of trick or treating door to door.

The Sun is Really Bright

Now I'm Watching the Movie

It was called Trunk or Treat. A local church had cars lined up that people had decorated their trunks with any theme they wanted. The kids walked from trunk to trunk collecting treats and even playing games and shooting hockey pucks into a hockey net. They even had a rock climbing wall and a fire engine and police cars that the kids could get inside of and so much more. It was a nice night for the kids.

Here they all are all dressed up. We had three pirates, Han Solo and Princess Leia.

I actually sewed Leia's costume. I am not a seamstress, so this was a huge undertaking. My daughter found pictures of a costume that a young woman had designed herself and we took notes, studied the picture and then just went for it. We both were blown away at how great it turned out. My daughter made the belt herself!! It was awesome.

Now lets talk about a sweet raw treat. How about a carob chia pudding?

Carob and Nut Butter Chia Pudding
I threw this together and it was really yummy. You also could make a vanilla version by omitting the nut butter and the carob. I went for the carob nut butter version.

Carob and Nut Butter Chia Pudding
2 bananas
1/2 C chia gel (or you could use Irish Moss)
1/3 C  cashews, soaked 1 hour
3 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked
pinch sea salt
1 T lecithin
2 T raw nut butter of choice
2-4 T carob powder
Process all in the food processor and enjoy!
~JMJ~ Today I am grateful that our children are not your typical kids. I have been around some interesting kids lately due to our daughter's volunteering. She is on a Teen Court which is responsible for deciding the sanctions for juvenile criminals. I sit in shock as I watch these teens, the ones volunteering on Teen Court, interact and see how they dress and talk. It is a real shocker for me since I am in my own little world here as I plug away at educating my kids at home, trying to instill morals, purity and just basic decency and manners. I am happy inside my little bubble, I must say. The world is frightening and I thank God everyday that my kids don't have to be a part of all the foolishness out there quite yet.Time will come soon enough for them when they head off to college, but at least for now they aren't forced to be a part of it five days of the week.They can observe from afar and steer clear of all that junk. I can't tell you how many of these juvenile criminals say that it was pressure from their peers that led them to commit these crimes!!  Keep any sharp objects away from my bubble please!
Peace and Raw Health--E.

RAW Pureed Squash

The other day I went to my favorite all organic market to stock up on sprouting seeds, buckwheat, kelp noodles and some fresh produce. I bought one small organic butternut squash and was determined to finally try squash raw. I have always adored squash but just didn't want to eat it cooked anymore since my diet now is almost 100% raw.
I searched for a recipe, found one, changed it, and here it is. It was really good but only try this one if you truly love squash. If you are not too fond of squash you won't love this like I did. So squash lovers, be prepared for a wonderful bowl full of sweet and "hot" yumminess.

Pureed Raw Butternut Squash



1 small organic butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped
1 Deglet date, pitted
Sea Salt
Pepper
Raw orange blossom honey
Ground allspice
Ground cayenne (red pepper)
1/4 cup water
Handful of organic raisins (optional)


Put the cubed raw butternut squash and one pitted Deglet date in the food processor with the “s” blade. Add about 1/4 cup of filtered water.
Process (if your food processor has speeds, use high speed) the squash and water until completely pureed and smooth. It will take a few minutes and you will need to stop the processor a few times and scrape the sides.
When the squash is completely pureed and smooth, add salt and pepper to taste. Pulse to mix in S and P.
Spoon the squash into serving bowls. Drizzle just a small drizzle of raw orange blossom honey in a swirl in the center of the bowl on top of the squash puree. Next, sprinkle just a dash of ground allspice and just a dash of cayenne (red) pepper. I also added some organic raisins at the last minute!! Stir all together and ENJOY!


Serves 2.

~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for finding the right orthodontist for our daughter. Boy has it been a looong search. We went through a few bad experiences in order to find a great fit for us. I am so grateful that we can finally get her started with the treatment. Being in the dental field myself makes is tougher to find offices that meet my high expectations, but I do believe we have finally found one. Yipee!! :)

I Got It, My Spiralizer, Finally!!

One of my birthday gifts from my sweet, sweet husband was a spiralizer!!!! YEAH! I finally can make zucchini noodles the right way.

He also got me a white ceramic counter top compost pail. I LOVE it. It looks good and it holds a lot of scraps. I am amazed at how much good compost stuff we have been collecting. Now I need a bigger compost bin out in the backyard.
I am getting ready to plant my gardens. Sounds strange doesn't it?? Most of the other states are harvesting the last of their produce and down here in SW Florida it is planting season!! I have quite a bit of soil in the compost bin out back and I look forward to custom blending my soil for my two square foot gardens. Let's just hope I can keep the neighborhood rabbits away from my greens.
The very first raw dish I made with my new spiralizer was pasta and sauce, RAW style of course.It takes a tad bit of preplanning if you want to have a raw  "Parmesan" cheeze topping. I wanted  some marinated mushrooms instead of trying to make and dehydrate raw meat(less)balls. 
For the cheeze I soaked some raw cashews and pumpkin seeds for about 2 hours, air dried them over night and then spiced them up a bit, creating the most delicious cheeze topping ever. The mushrooms were very easy; white button mushrooms with a drizzle of EVOO, balsamic and some spices.
My raw noodles were the typical zucchini and my raw marinara was made with sun dried and fresh tomatoes, with a few key spices.  Here is my recipe for  Raw Spaghetti with Mushroom Sauce and Parmesan:

RAW Parmesan Cheeze
1 palmful of raw cashews, soaked
1 palmful of raw pumpkin seeds, soaked
pinch of sea salt
pinch of red pepper flakes
pinch of dried onions
pinch of garlic powder
+Soak the cashews and pumpkin seeds for 2 hours in filtered or spring water. Drain and allow to air dry overnight on paper towel. Process the dry nuts and seeds with the salt, red pepper flakes, dried onion, and garlic powder. Set aside.

Marinated Mushrooms
6 button mushrooms, sliced
First Cold Pressed EVOO
Balsamic vinegar
Pinch of sea salt
Pinch of fresh black pepper
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of dried Italian seasonings
+Drizzle some EVOO and balsamic over the mushrooms. Add all of the remaining spices and toss to coat well. Cover and let marinate 2 hours or more.

Marinara Sauce
10 sun dried tomatoes, soaked 1 hour in filtered or spring water
4 Campari tomatoes (from Canada--green house, vine ripe)
2 T First Cold Pressed EVOO
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tsp dried Italian seasonings
Pinch of onion powder
Pinch of sea salt
+In a small food processor, process the sauce till almost smooth, keeping a few chunks from the tomatoes.

RAW Noodles
1 large, green zucchini
+Using a spiralizer, make the raw noodles.

Plate the noodles. Top with the sauce, then add the marinated mushrooms and finally top with the RAW Parmesan cheeze. Enjoy!!
~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for a "beautiful sky" that my 6 year old pointed out to me. "Mom, look at that beautiful sky". He is such a joyful person and notices so many things that I just over look. I am so thankful to be able to see the world through his precious eyes.

My Version of Ants on a Log

Figs on a Log

This is a terrible picture, looks like a train wreck! But I was so hungry I just started throwing stuff on my plate. I really wanted some celery with nut butter and raisins but I changed my mind and decided to use cut up dried black mission figs. Wow was it good. I used Artisana Raw Macadamia Butter with Cashews on the celery, topped them with the figs and some honey, that I got up in North Carolina. Organic apple slices and sprouts just sounded good so I had those too. There you have it, that was my lunch. Nothing complicated, just good raw living foods. I had three little boys all eyeballing my plate. :)

~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for kids in the kitchen. I had no idea what gluten free meal to make the kids tonight so I asked my 13 year old son to create a dish. He told me how to put together a chicken dish that they all loved. We named it after him and it has gone in their gluten free and raw recipe binder. Way to go Mitchell!!

My Pear and Kiwi Kick

My picture is blurry, sorry, but I just had to post this super simple, super tasty salad I made the other day. It had been a long time since I had some arugula and I really was craving those greens. I had also been missing my baby spinach. I decided to combine the two and top it with a combo of pears and kiwi. For some reason pears and kiwi have been tasting really good to me, like REALLY good. I have been eating them quite a bit. A very simple dressing was in order, and here is how it all turned out: (NOTE- Right before I ate this salad I loaded it with a tall mountain of my home grown broccoli sprouts. I try to have broccoli sprouts everyday--they are so powerful against all things evil, evil cancer cells that is!!)

Fruited Arugula and Spinach

Arugula

Baby Spinach

1 Kiwi, sliced

1 Pear, sliced

Broccoli Sprouts

Plate the arugula and spinach. Lay the kiwi and pear slices on top. Add a large serving of your favorite sprouts. Drizzle with a simple sweet Dijon dressing.

Dressing:

Coconut Vinegar

First Cold Pressed EVOO

Dijon Mustard

Sea Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

Raw Honey--in liquid state

Raw Sesame Seeds

In a glass jar mix the dressing ingredients to your taste and shake well. Will keep several days in the refrigerator. Enjoy!

~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for kind words. A very sweet lady in our Raw Living Foods Group was kind enough to send me a note letting me know how much she enjoys my blog. Wasn't that a nice surprise! Thanks "L"!! :) Just the inspiration to keep me going even when I am dog tired and don't feel like I can keep up with posting and trying to get everything else done. It is a great outlet for me and I do enjoy making all of my raw food recipes. There's nothing better than RAW LIVING FOODS in my book!

APPLE CINNAMON KIWI CHIA

Today I was inspired by Raw on $10 a Day (or Less) post for October 10th (my birthday!!). She made a chia stew that looked so yummy, and creepy, that I had to create a bowl for myself; minus the creepy factor. After I took the picture I stirred the fruit into the chia. The combo of apple, cinnamon and kiwi was amazing!! Here is how my yummy breakfast turned out:

Apple Cinnamon Kiwi Chia
by Eizabeth @ Raw Living and Learning
4 T dark chia seeds
3/4 C filtered water
pinch of sea salt
1 T raw honey (in liquid state)
1 kiwi, sliced
1 red apple, diced small
generous sprinkle of cinnamon

Soak the chia in the water for 10 minutes. To the chia add the sea salt and honey then stir to mix. Pour chia into a bowl. Add the sliced kiwi and the diced apple. Sprinkle a generous amount of cinnamon on top and stir to mix in the fruits and cinnamon. Enjoy!
~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for the courage to speak up in a very difficult situation. I
was able to stand tall and express just how I felt about deplorable conditions. I'll leave it at that. I am just so glad that I stayed and said what needed to be said, even though I was shaking and crying at one point, I got my point across crystal clear. I just hope that something will be done to make sure that this does not happen to anyone else who goes to this particular office.

Simplified RAW Kale Salad

Simplified RAW Kale Salad

Raw kale and I just go together so well. I absolutely LOVE this stuff. I have simplified my recipe because we make it several times a week. I have been able to get some really nice, fresh kale lately. Also the Roma tomatoes have been fantastic. I decided to make this recipe with the tomatoes on the side and I topped the kale with my home grown lentil sprouts. It was nothing short of spectacular. You'd have to love raw kale to feel the same way, I guess. Our 4 yr old and 6 yr old agree with Mommy; they love it as much as I do.

This is how I have been preparing the kale lately:

Simplified RAW Kale Salad

1 head of kale, fine chopped

2 T First Cold Pressed Olive Oil

1 tsp onion powder

11/2 T Tamari, wheat free

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

2 T raw sesame seeds, white

1 large Roma tomato, sliced into rounds

1/3 C lentil sprouts

Place the chopped kale into a medium mixing bowl. Drizzle kale with the olive oil and massage with your hands for 5 minutes. The kale will reduce in size by half or more. This softens the kale and breaks down the cell walls. Next drizzle the Tamari over the kale, add the onion powder, pepper and sesame seeds. Mix well until fully combined. Taste and add more Tamari if needed.

Arrange the sliced tomatoes on a plate, top with the kale and lentil sprouts. Enjoy!

~JMJ~ Today I am grateful for a wonderful evening out with my husband. We celebrated my birthday a day early and it was very nice.